Aloha Yellow Jackets,

For those returning to Georgia Tech: welcome back!  For those who are members of the Class of 2027, congratulations on your decision to join the Ramblin’ Wreck family! As so many of us have experienced, there have been unusually hotter temperatures and just generally extreme weather in many places around the globe, so I do hope that wherever you were this summer, you and yours were able to find respite from the grueling heat. As for my summer, I was able to spend some time visiting family, taking in the amazing sights of Sedona with my partner (it was his first time seeing it!), and binge-watching Silo and Season 3 of The Witcher.

I’m excited to share the many new things happening in Student Engagement and Well-Being as we continue to support you as students both in and out of the classroom! For our newest Yellow Jackets, this newsletter is my opportunity to communicate with you directly throughout the academic year about the issues, programs, and services that will impact your sense of belonging, well-being, and success. I hope you will find it informative and engaging.

The last several months have seen lots of discussions locally and nationally on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as freedom of speech and academic freedom. We are always reflecting on how those play out in our day-to-day activities as a leading, world-renown public institution. The recent Supreme Court decision around race-related admissions caused a sea change for higher education across the US, and Georgia Tech was no exception. Our institution will continue to use a holistic approach in evaluating all admission applicants while removing the option of including race and ethnicity in our consideration, in accordance with the ruling. I also want to reiterate that the SCOTUS decision of affirmative action in admissions does not mean that we will in any way discontinue our commitment to inclusive access for all students – we will strive to ensure that every Yellow Jacket, of every background and identity, has the tools they need to thrive and graduate.

In this issue I want to cover new initiatives, announcements, celebrations. and lots more to help you start the semester with all the right tools!  These include <<bullets below will be anchor linked>>:
 

• Freedom of Expression at Georgia Tech
• Launch of the new Division of Arts, Belonging & Community
• Take Charge of Your Personal Health & Wellness

Freedom of Expression at Georgia Tech
In May 2022, the Governor of Georgia signed into law a new bill that codifies the responsibilities that each institution of higher education in the state has to advance freedom of expression. We have already affirmed this commitment in one of our values in the strategic plan. As such, we hold the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and the right to assemble peaceably as essential cornerstones to the advancement of knowledge and the foundation of a lively, healthy democracy.  Through the free exchange of ideas, Georgia Tech students learn to see the world from different perspectives, question their own beliefs, hone their critical thinking skills, and develop their own unique viewpoints.

However, the right to free speech also comes with responsibilities. It means respecting the rights and opinions of others, even if they differ from your own. It means being open to new ideas, even if they challenge your beliefs. And it means engaging in respectful dialogue, even when opinions clash. Finally, it means defending the rights of others to express themselves – even if what they say angers or even offends you. This site includes resources to help Yellow Jackets understand both their rights and responsibilities while at Georgia Tech.  Please watch the video to learn more or visit our website.
 

Introducing Arts, Belonging & Community
We announced earlier this month that Student Engagement and Well-Being has established a new division of Arts, Belonging and Community. As I shared in the announcement, I spent nearly two years listening to what students said they needed; what I heard repeatedly guided this decision. The purpose of this new division is to promote and sustain a sense of belonging and community for all students, across all identities — in particular, those who come from historically marginalized or underserved communities.

Known as Arts, Belonging, and Community, the new division will contribute to three of the focus areas in the Institute's strategic plan, and to one of the four goals of the Cultivate Well-Being Roadmap for students. The division will bring together the following existing units: Office of the Arts, the LGBTQIA Resource Center, the Veterans’ Resource Center, and the Women's Resource Center, as well as the Student and Campus Events Centers, which includes the newly renovated John Lewis Student Center.

Over the next few years, we will also expand the division.  First, we will open Black Culture, Innovation and Technology on the first floor of Smithgall Student Services in mid-September.  The national search for a director is underway, and I look forward to engaging student feedback in hiring this position.

Second, the office of Student Diversity Programs is becoming Intercultural Student Programs and is scheduled to hopefully begin programming in January 2024. According to UNESCO’s Guidelines on Intercultural Education (2006), “Multicultural  [E]ducation uses  learning  about  other cultures in order to produce acceptance, or at least tolerance, of these cultures. Intercultural Education aims to go beyond passive coexistence, to achieve a developing and sustainable way of living together in multicultural societies through the creation of understanding of, respect for and dialogue between the different cultural groups.” Intercultural educational strategies and structured dialogues will be designed to learn about one’s own cultural identities and their intersections. The goal of this work is to promote a campus community in which all groups can have self-agency and achieve their full potential whether learning or working.

Additional departments will launch in the next few years to better meet the unique needs of commuter and fully online students, as well as strengthen our advising, coaching, mentoring and support services for RSO’s, who are the foundation for fostering belonging and community for GT students.

Take Charge of Your Personal Health & Wellness
I want to encourage you to be mindful of your personal health and wellness in all dimensions. Georgia Tech offers a vast array of health and wellness programs and services to support you on your academic journey. Kickstarting your year with mindful self-care and healthy habits will prepare you for those more challenging moments in the semester and hopefully make them easier to navigate.

In addition, it’s important to build and sustain a network of social support, which can include friends, family members, fur babies and anyone or anything else that helps to rejuvenate and restore you! Research shows that having just 1-2 non-toxic relationships with friends or partners can have a measurably positive impact on an individual’s emotional, social and/or spiritual wellness. 

Finally, start practicing how to ask for help. Nobody can make it Georgia Tech alone: we all need help at some point during the academic journey. While we strive to live up to the Yellow Jacket motto, “#WeCanDoThat, the reality is that sometimes we can’t – or at least not on the first attempt, or not without the assistance of others. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to faculty, staff, student service offices, or community organizations when you start to feel anxious or overwhelmed – or just need to talk things through.

Student Engagement and Well-Being and the entire Georgia Tech community remains committed to providing resources, referrals, advocacy, services, and support regarding a wide range of issues impacting students’ lives throughout their time here at Georgia Tech.  Let’s all strive to offer grace and treat one another with compassion and kindness as we start a new Fall semester. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if our cabinet area can provide the encouragement or support you need to be successful.

Go Jackets!